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WEDNESDAY EDITION: I dragged the Honda 2000
portable gen out of the basement and attempted to use it with my 13
amp skill saw yesterday. It bogged down the generator and I could
tell it was not putting out 110 volts. I checked with my Fluke
voltmeter and it dipped to 75 volts when I turned the saw on and
slowly made it up to 100 volts before gen motor started to stutter.
Something wrong! I called Joe- JEK who has the same generator and
told him my problem and he asked if I had the choke on...of course
not I said, he said check it. So I went outside and looked at the
gen running and sure enough I had the choke on but when I turned it
off the engine would start to quit. Damn, the carb was screwed up
and needed to be cleaned, it would only run with the choke on so it
was starving for gas. Joe said it happened to him once and a good
dose of SeaFoam carb cleaner would do the trick probably....so off
to the parts store this morning and grab a can. If not, the carb has
to come off and get take apart and clean out the main jet
assembly....sounds like fun. I pride myself on using fuel stabilizer
in the gas, etc....but shit happens I guess......Damn
priests are lucky I am not the judge................Bartenders
on the way out?.....Glad I was not on this
flight....
FCC publish new Part 95 rules
in Federal Register
The FCC has reorganized and updated FCC Personal Radio
Services (PRS) Part 95 rules and published them in the The
Federal Register
The ARRL says:
Among other things, the PRS covers the Family Radio Service
(FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), and the Citizens
Band Radio Service (CBRS).
The revised rules allot additional FRS channels and increase the
power on certain FRS channels from 0.5 W to 2 W. FRS channels
are in the 462.5625 – 462.7250 MHz range.
Effective September 30, 2019, it will be illegal to manufacture
or import handheld portable radio equipment capable of operating
under FRS rules and under other licensed or licensed-by-rule
services.
The FCC no longer will certify FRS devices that incorporate
capabilities of GMRS capabilities or of other services. Existing
GMRS/FRS combination radios that operate at power levels of less
than 2 W ERP will be reclassified as FRS devices; existing GMRS/FRS
radios that operate above that power level will be reclassified
as GMRS devices, requiring an individual license.
Radios that can transmit on GMRS repeater input channels will
continue to be licensed individually and not by rule.
Once the new rules are effective, CBers will be allowed to
contact stations outside of the FCC-imposed — but widely
disregarded — 155.3-mile distance limit.
Source ARRL
http://www.arrl.org/news/view/new-fcc-part-95-personal-radio-services-rules-published-in-the-federal-register
The Federal Register
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/08/29/2017-17395/personal-radio-service-reform
Texas Volunteer Examiner Setting Sights on
Next 1,000 Exam Sessions
In July, Franz Laugermann, K3FL, of Houston, achieved a
milestone that no other VEC has before by taking part as a
Volunteer Examiner in his 1,000th exam session. And, he told
ARRL, he’s far from finished. “As long as I can be here, I’m
gonna go on doing this,” he said, adding that he’s set his
sights on 2,000 sessions. “It’s so rewarding to help other
people through this.” He estimated that he’s helped about 5,000
people get their Amateur Radio licenses. At one recent session,
a 10-year-old boy who passed the exam became the fourth
generation in his family to get licensed through Laugermann, who
also had conducted the testing sessions at which the boy’s
father, grandfather, and great-grandfather earned their ham
tickets.
Laugermann became an ARRL-accredited Volunteer Examiner (VE)
in 1991. His wife Barbara, KA5QES, has been a VE nearly as long
as her husband. Both are ARRL members.
Retired from the US. Army in 1975, Laugermann, 78, has been
licensed since 1978 and has served as an Official Observer for
27 years and as a member of ARES®. He supported the ARES effort
for Hurricane Harvey at the Harris County Office of Homeland
Security and Emergency Management’s Emergency Operation Center
at Houston
TranStar.
Laugermann is also as an ordained deacon of the
Galveston-Houston Roman Catholic Archdiocese.
He has been running VEC sessions at Houston TranStar for more
than 16 years. “I like meeting new people,” Laugermann says,
adding that when he talks to people young or old, he always
encourages them to give Amateur Radio a try. “I tell them, ‘I
don’t know everything, but I’ll tell you everything I do know,’”
he said with a laugh.
He’s taken to telling his recent exam graduates to text him
with their new call signs so he can keep an ear out for them
when he’s on the air. “I’m retired, so I’m on the radio all day
long,” he said. TUESDAY EDITION: I think HRO needs to
hire this guy to sell the high end HF rigs...the ARRL September
digital edition of QST advertisements is available with a few
articles thrown in as well...
Ham radio helps woman trace
family
The Telegraph (India) reports a woman has been reunited
with her family on Saturday, courtesy amateur radio operators of
Bengal and Assam
Maziran Khatun of Kayakuchi Pathar village in Barpeta was spotted by
some local residents and ham radio operators after she gave birth to
a baby girl on a road in Diamond Harbour on July 21 and admitted to
Diamond Harbour Super Speciality Hospital.
"Maziran was unable to recall anything initially, not even her name.
After psychiatric treatment, her condition improved and she seemed
to recollect pieces of information about her life. She eventually
recalled that she is from Barpeta district," said Taheruddin Ahmed
VU2TUO, vice-president of Amateur Radio Club of Assam.
Members of West Bengal Radio Club (Amateur Club), Ambarish Nag
Biswas VU2JFA and Pampa Sahukkar, then got in touch with Ahmed on
July 28, seeking help to trace the woman's residence.
Read the full story at
https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/north-east/ham-radio-helps-woman-trace-family-251767
Diwata-2 microsatellite
nears completion, handover to Jaxa...more
space junk...
The Philippine Diwata-2 satellite carrying an
amateur radio FM transponder and APRS digipeater is expected to
launch in October
The Business Mirror reports:
The 50-kilogram satellite shall soon be sent into orbit by the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its partner,
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa).
It should be recalled that the DOST had the Philippines’s first
microsatellite—the maiden Diwata-1 that was designed, developed and
assembled in Japan by nine pioneering Filipino engineers and
scientists along with their “sensei” (instructors) from the Tohoku
University (TU) and Hokkaido University (HU).
Diwata-1 was launched to the International Space Station onboard the
Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft on March 23, 2016. It was deployed
from the ISS into her orbit on April 27 by the Japanese Experimental
Module (JEM)—”Kibo” or Hope—around 400 km above Earth’s surface.
Now, two years and four months later, the government is about to
unveil the second iteration of Diwata-1—named Diwata-2 targeted for
launching onboard Jaxa’s H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Island in
Japan.
Ariston Gonzalez, a researcher/lead research and development
engineer for PHL-Microsat at DOST-Asti, is quoted in the article as
saying:
"All one has to do is tune in [a ham radio] to the frequency of
Diwata-2 to send voice messages while the other party stands by to
receive the voice message."
"Target use for ham radio [of Diwata-2] is for emergency situations
wherein all commercial communications are down."
"What Diwata-2 does is to serve as a relay or connecting point for
two persons communicating with each other,” he pointed out."
"One can also store messages on Diwata-2 that can be broadcasted
repeatedly across and over the Philippines, such as prerecorded
emergency messages in times of disasters, calamities and other kinds
of emergency."
The IARU has coordinated these frequencies for Diwata-2:
- 145.900 MHz downlink
- 437.500 MHz uplink
MOTIVATION MONDAY EDITION: I got the stitches
out of my face at 8am from recent surgery, didn't improve a damn
thing....Nice to talk to Barry at HRO North this morning and order a
few 35 amp power supplies and cords for the club repeater....Made a
few cw contacts on 20 and 40, I still have the touch, too bad the
band conditions suck....How about those Red Sox? Must be Trump's
fault....I would rather listen to 3910 when they are their worst
than listen to the nightly news anymore...Can't make
this shit up.....Pirates are making a
comeback.....
Indonesian amateurs using IO-86
for earthquake ecomm
As Radio Amateurs in Indonesia respond for the second time to an
Earthquake in the Lombok area, please take care to avoid causing QRM
to their activities on 7.110MHz and emergency activities on
satellite IO-86.
The second powerful earthquake in the area killed at least 98
people and seriously injured more than 200 others. The electricity
supply in the area is disrupted and the ORARI of West Nusa Tenggara
Region led by YB9KA and YB9GV have taken action to cover areas with
no cellular coverage including taking battery supplies to affected
repeaters.
At the moment four repeaters are operating in the disaster area
with ORARI HQ asking their Bali Island Region (the closest area) to
provide further repeater support for use by emergency communications
in Lombok.
ORARI HQ has also issued an official request to the nearest
region, to help with both logistics and personnel to Lombok, and
designating a National Frequency for the Lombok Earthquake at 7.110
MHz for HF, VHF on 145.500 MHz Simplex and 147.000 MHz Duplex, and
also to activate ORARI Satellite LAPAN IO-86 to assist with
communication.
The Central Java Region of the Indonesian Search And Rescue
Council has sent a group of rescuers and vehicles, led by YB2QC the
Operation and Technical Head of ORARI, to join the National Rescue
Operation in Lombok and ORARI. Jakarta is also arranging the
delivery of logistical assistance to Lombok.
NASA, ULA launch Parker
Solar Probe on historic journey to touch Sun ..how
much shit can we keep launching up in the air before we all have to
wear hard hats to survive on earth?
Hours before the rise of the very star it will study, NASA’s
Parker Solar
Probe launched from Florida Sunday to begin its journey to the
Sun, where it will undertake a landmark mission. The spacecraft will
transmit its first science observations in December, beginning a
revolution in our understanding of the star that makes life on Earth
possible.
Roughly the size of a small car, the spacecraft lifted off at
3:31 a.m. EDT on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from
Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. At 5:33
a.m., the mission operations manager reported that the spacecraft
was healthy and operating normally.
The mission’s findings will help researchers improve their
forecasts of space weather events, which have the potential to
damage satellites and harm astronauts on orbit, disrupt radio
communications and, at their most severe, overwhelm power grids.
“This mission truly marks humanity’s first visit to a star that
will have implications not just here on Earth, but how we better
understand our universe,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate
administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. “We’ve
accomplished something that decades ago, lived solely in the realm
of science fiction.”
During the first week of its journey, the spacecraft will deploy
its high-gain antenna and
magnetometer boom. It also will perform the first of a two-part
deployment of its electric field antennas. Instrument testing will
begin in early September and last approximately four weeks, after
which Parker Solar Probe can begin science operations.
“Today’s launch was the culmination of six decades of scientific
study and millions of hours of effort,” said project manager Andy
Driesman, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
(APL) in Laurel, Maryland. “Now, Parker Solar Probe is operating
normally and on its way to begin a seven-year mission of extreme
science.”
Over the next two months, Parker Solar Probe will fly towards
Venus, performing its first Venus
gravity assist in early October – a maneuver a bit like a
handbrake turn – that whips the spacecraft around the planet, using
Venus’s gravity to trim the spacecraft’s orbit tighter around the
Sun. This first flyby will place Parker Solar Probe in position in
early November to fly as close as 15 million miles from the Sun –
within the blazing solar atmosphere, known as the corona – closer
than anything made by humanity has ever gone before.
Throughout its seven-year mission, Parker Solar Probe will make
six more Venus flybys and 24 total passes by the Sun, journeying
steadily closer to the Sun until it makes its closest approach at
3.8 million miles. At this point, the probe will be moving at
roughly 430,000 miles per hour, setting the record for the
fastest-moving object made by humanity.
Parker Solar Probe will set its sights on the corona to solve
long-standing, foundational mysteries of our Sun. What is the
secret of the scorching corona, which is more than 300 times
hotter than the Sun’s surface, thousands of miles below? What drives
the supersonic solar wind – the constant stream of solar
material that blows through the entire solar system? And finally,
what accelerates solar energetic particles, which can reach speeds
up to more than half the speed of light as they rocket away from the
Sun?
Scientists have sought these answers for more than 60 years, but
the investigation requires sending a probe right through the
unrelenting heat of the corona. Today, this is finally possible with
cutting-edge
thermal engineering advances that can protect the mission on its
daring journey.
“Exploring the Sun’s corona with a spacecraft has been one of the
hardest challenges for space exploration,” said Nicola Fox, project
scientist at APL. “We’re finally going to be able to answer
questions about the corona and solar wind raised by Gene Parker in
1958 – using a spacecraft that bears his name – and I can’t wait to
find out what discoveries we make. The science will be remarkable.”
Parker Solar Probe carries four instrument suites designed to
study magnetic fields, plasma and energetic particles, and capture
images of the solar wind. The University of California, Berkeley,
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor, and Princeton University in New Jersey lead these
investigations.
Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA’s Living with a Star program
to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life
and society. The Living with a Star program is managed by the
agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed and
built, and operates the spacecraft.
The mission is named for
Eugene Parker, the physicist who first theorized the existence
of the solar wind in 1958. It’s the first NASA mission to be named
for a living researcher.
Storm Takes Down Antennas at Memorial Ham
Station on Swedish-Norwegian Border
The SJ9WL-LG5LG
Morokulien memorial station on the border of Sweden
and Norway is off the air after a large tree, brought down
during a severe storm on August 10, caused extensive damage to
the station’s antennas. According to one
report, the station’s 100-foot tower was
broken into pieces after the tree fell across three tower guys.
That pulled the support structure toward the station building,
but a third set of guys on the other side of the tower held and
kept it from damaging the structure. The tower has been up for
at least a decade. “This is a unique place, because the radio
shack is exactly on the border, and the users are obliged to use
the call signs alternatively — one day SJ9WL and the next day
LG5LG,” Henryk Kotowski, SM0JHF, told ARRL. Kotowski has
operated from the station in the past, and a photo he shot at
Morkulien appeared on the cover of the October 1996 issue of
QST.
“This was a memorial station devoted to SM5WL and LA5LG,”
Kotowski explained. “They both promoted Amateur Radio and
supported disabled hams. Swedish and Norwegian hams took over
the abandoned border checkpoint house 50 years ago and made a
joint club station there.” He said the area is now devoted to
recreation and includes a peace monument. With funds from
station rentals, the association Amateur Radio in Morokulien (ARIM)
maintains and manages the station, which may be the only one
located on an international border in what ARIM calls a “ham
state.” The station is designed to accommodate individuals with
disabilities. The name Morokulien is a combination of the words
for fun — moro in Norwegian, and kul in Swedish —
plus a suffix indicating “in one place.”
Antennas on the support structure included an eight-element
log periodic for HF plus a 6-meter Yagi and antennas for VHF and
UHF. The antenna structure was topped with a VHF-UHF vertical.
The tower also supported dipoles for the lower bands.
“Sweden has been haunted this summer by drought, wildfires,
and, recently, heavy storms and rainfall,” Kotowski recounted.
The cottage in Morokulien had been booked for the weekend,
but the reservation was canceled. This fall, clubs on both sides
of the international border are planning a joint 50th
anniversary celebration. HAARP’s WSPR Research Campaign Yields
Hundreds of Reports on 40 and 80 Meters
Just-completed research at the High-Frequency Active Auroral
Research Program ( HAARP)
transmitters in Gakona, Alaska, successfully took advantage of
the WSPR digital protocol and the Weak Signal Propagation
Reporter Network ( WSPRnet)
on July 30 through August 1. University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
Space Physics Group researcher and HAARP Chief Scientist Chris
Fallen, KL3WX, told ARRL that the research — HAARP’s fourth
research campaign under management of the University of Alaska
Fairbanks — went well. “My ‘citizen science’ experiments were
funded by the National Science Foundation and were conducted for
approximately 30 minutes at the end of each campaign day,”
Fallen told ARRL. “They consisted of 2-minute transmissions
using the WSPR digital mode in the 40- and 80-meter bands, with
a 2-minute off period between transmissions.” He said HAARP
transmitted in full-carrier, double-sideband AM because it does
not have SSB capability. HAARP operated under its Part 5
Experimental license, WI2XFX, with Special Temporary Authority (STA)
from the FCC to transmit on amateur bands.
“I systematically varied the HAARP transmission parameters,
such as gain, net power, beam direction, and polarization, to
see how they affected the reception reports collected in the
WSPRnet.org
database,” Fallen said. “During the 3 days, we gathered more
than 300 confirmed reports of signal strength and location from
nearly 100 unique participants throughout Canada and the US.”
Fallen said the spots, collected along with the corresponding
HAARP transmission parameters, are available online, (1)
and (2). He
said the spreadsheet at the second link is editable by the
public, “specifically by citizen scientists who want to manually
add their spot or other interesting data analysis,” he added.
“In this sense, the experiment continues.”
He said that HAARP’s low-elevation transmissions on 40 meters
resulted in the greatest number of spots. “The 40-acre phased
array antenna at HAARP, with its vertically oriented normal, is
not designed for low-elevation transmissions, and so these
directional experiments most likely included significant grating
lobes in the opposite directions,” Fallen explained. “The most
distant spot was located at grid EL96xi, near Boca Raton,
Florida, reported by W1NEJ, from a distance of 6,154 kilometers.
Interestingly, HAARP was aimed in the magnetic west direction
during that spot. Those grating lobes!” A grating lobe occurs
when the signal is steered too far with a phased array and the
main beam reappears on the opposite side.
Fallen said a few Alaskans participated in the test, and all
spots from there were on 80 meters, with the exception of a
single 40-meter spot reported by KL4IU, located near Fairbanks.
“KL4IU used a
30 MHz turnstile antenna recycled from the
old Poker Flat Research Range imaging riometer, essentially a
phased array HF receiver, that was destroyed by lightning many
years ago,” he said.
HAARP and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico are planning
to conduct heating campaigns this fall, Fallen noted, although
not at the same time, as experimenters are shared.
Funding agencies for the recent HAARP research campaign
included the National Science Foundation, Air Force Research
Laboratory, and the Office of Naval Research, with experimenters
from the Naval Research Laboratory, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Eastern Michigan University, Cornell University,
Virginia Tech, and the University of Alaska Fairbank
WEEKEND EDITION: Today's dumbass in
air rage.....
New US Submarine Forces Commander is Radio
Amateur
US Navy Vice Admiral Charles A. “Chas” Richard, W4HFZ,
assumed
command of US submarine forces during a
change-of-command ceremony on August 4, held aboard the
submarine USS Washington (SSN-787). He assumed command
from Vice Admiral Joseph Tofalo. An ARRL Life Member, Richard,
58, is well-known in the AMSAT and APRS communities. He had been
serving as the deputy commander of US Strategic Command at
Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. A radio amateur since 1974,
Richard said on his
qrz.com profile that he is active on 6 and
2 meters, as well as on HF when the VHF bands are closed. He
also enjoys digital satellite operations. Richard has been on
active US Navy duty since 1982. Foundations of Amateur Radio #166
The mysterious three phase power ...
There are times when you realise that you've always nodded your head
when a particular topic came up and after doing that for long
enough, you think you know what's going on.
Turns out that, no, you didn't, but that the topic itself was
interesting enough to learn from. In my case, Three Phase Power. I
came upon this topic over the past month while I struggled with
power interruptions, blinking lights, weirdness throughout my house.
Turns out that it's been happening for a lot longer than I've lived
here.
After spending some time with the local power company, which I was
told was filled with people who didn't care, turns out that they do,
but they're busy people. After some back and forth, some logging,
some finger pointing and head-scratching, the solution to my woes
was to move me from the White Phase to the Blue Phase.
I nodded and smiled and everything was well with the world.
I know that there are three phases, Red, White and Blue. If you have
overhead power in your street you'll likely notice four wires strung
from pole to pole. One for each phase and one for neutral.
Apparently there's a standard for which is neutral and the order,
but there are too many exceptions for me to spell that all out here,
so I'll move on.
So, what's with these three phases?
If you spin a magnet between two coils you have a generator. As the
magnet spins, the magnetic field increases through each coil, then
peaks, then reduces, and as the next magnetic pole comes along, the
magnetic field reverses, increases, peaks, reduces, etc.
If that sounds familiar, it's because I've just described a
sine-wave. Every revolution of the magnet is a cycle and if you
cycle, say 50 times, you get 50 cycles per second, or 50 Hz. For
some countries it's not 50 Hz, but 60. Same thing, just faster.
That single set of opposing coils and magnet is a single phase. If
you add another set of coils, 120 degrees further along, you get the
same phenomenon, completely independently from the first set of
coils.
That's the second phase. Rinse and repeat for the third phase.
To get that power to the rest of the suburb, you need to run a
single wire for each phase and a common neutral wire, giving you the
four wires that you see on a power pole.
Theoretically you could run with more phases, but you need to run
more copper into the street, so power companies stopped at three.
You can think of these as three completely independent circuits, but
they all share the same neutral, so there are some subtle
interactions, like if the neutral becomes disconnected, bad news
happens, especially in a place like Western Australia where ground
conductivity is very poor.
In a normal home you'll get fed by one of those phases, in my case I
changed over from the white phase to the blue phase. This means that
each phase has a different set of users in the street. Roughly a
third are using each phase.
Looking at the actual voltage and current that comes through at high
enough resolution and you'll begin to recognise it as an RF spectrum
with harmonics, variations, interference and other artefacts that
make power show up as a varying feast, rather than the rock-solid
expectation of 240V, 50 Hz you see on the sticker.
Three Phase Power, now you can nod along like I did and know how it
actually works.
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
To listen to the podcast, visit the website:
http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/foundations/ and scroll to the
bottom for the latest episode. You can also use your podcast tool of
choice and search for my callsign, VK6FLAB, or you can read the
book, look for my callsign on your local Amazon store, or visit my
author page:
http://amazon.com/author/owh
Amateur Radio
Newsline Report 2128 for Friday, August 10, 2018
INDONESIAN AMATEURS RESPOND FOLLOWING DEADLY QUAKE
JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with breaking news. As an Indonesian
earthquake's death toll climbs, hams deploy to assist
communications. John Williams VK4JJW tells us more.
JOHN: Members of the Indonesian Amateur Radio Organisation, known as
ORARI, were deployed not long after a deadly 6.9 magnitude quake
rocked Indonesia on Sunday August 5th, leaving a death toll that was
fast approaching 100 as Amateur Radio Newsline went to production.
Hardest hit were the resort areas on Lambok where tourists emerged
from a landscape of massive debris and swarmed the beaches. The
quake could be felt as far away as the island of Bali. More than 300
were reported injured. The hams established counter-disaster
communications on 7110kHz and a call was issued to amateurs
worldwide to keep the frequency clear. Stations within the immediate
region were being asked to monitor emergency traffic and assist
where they could. ORARI also established radio operations on VHF at
145.5 MHz and 147 MHz. The quake came on the heels of an earlier
one, on July 29th, which hit the same area with a magnitude of 6.4,
killing 16 and injuring several hundreds, many of them hikers who
were at the summit of a mountain in Lombok that collapsed into the
mouth of a volcano.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m John Williams VK4JJW.
NO NEW BUILDING FOR HAMVENTION 2019
JIM/ANCHOR: In the U.S., hopes for a new building in time for next
year's Dayton Hamvention have been dashed. Andy Morrison K9AWM has
that report.
ANDY: There will be no new building after all for Hamvention 2019
when it opens in Xenia, Ohio next spring. Hamvention General
Chairman Jack Gerbs WB8SCT announced on Aug. 5 that negotiations
have failed to reach an agreement on a contract between Hamvention
organizers and the Green County Fairgrounds and Expo Center. He said
the county and the fair’s board still have a good relationship with
Hamvention at this point but there will not be a building in time
for the next gathering. Jack made the announcement jointly with
Hamvention assistant chair Rick Allnutt WS8G, noting that the
improvements attendees saw at the 2018 Hamvention site will continue
into next year: tent shelters will be improved, there will be
another forum room and the flea market area will feature permanent
paths.
Both Rick and Jack expressed hope that the amateur radio community
would continue to give Hamvention their full support.
For Amateur Radio Newsline I’m Andy Morrison K9AWM
YOUNG LADIES RADIO LEAGUE HOSTS SUCCESSFUL CONVENTION
JIM/ANCHOR: Further west in the U.S., a successful gathering of YLs
wrapped up recently in Oklahoma City. We turn to Heather Embee
KB3TZD for those details.
HEATHER: For attendees at this year’s Young Ladies Radio League
Convention in downtown Oklahoma City, it’s all over now but the
memories. YLRL president Marilyn Melhorn AF7BI welcomed the group of
43 YLs and 22 OMs who traveled from 21 states and the Canadian
provinces. The local SCARS club sent five OMs to work as volunteers
at the event, which ran from August 2nd to 5th. There was a forum on
digital modes led by Ria Jairam N2RJ, rovering by Andrea Slack K2EZ
and Mission Kosovo led by Jim Fenstermaker K9FJ. NASA research
scientist Nancy Hall KC4IYH delivered the keynote speech at the
convention banquet.
According to one member of the three-person organizing committee,
Michelle Carey W5MQC, the prize table was chock full of goodies from
convention sponsors and Saturday also featured Elmira roundtable
sessions offering help on DMR, antennas, CW, logging, programming
rigs and just about anything else. YLs got to make Morse Code
bracelets. Carol Milazzo KP4MD treated the YLs to a talk on the
right way to organize a DXpedition style holiday.
There were also moments of personal triumph: Pamela Saalbach KC3LCX
became a General class and a new ham, Aria Cunningham, passed her
Technican test. The YLRL convention only happens once every three or
four years so these are memories – and moments – that are sure to
last.
LAND MOBILE RADIOS GET NEW BAND IN NEW ZEALAND
JIM/ANCHOR: There's nothing like getting a new part of the spectrum
and that's good news to land mobile radio users in New Zealand where
Jim Meachen ZL2BHF has this report.
JIM: Almost everyone welcomes the approval of new radio bands to use
and in New Zealand, a new band has been created for use by land
mobile radios. It’s known as the G band and it allows transmissions
between 174 MHz and 184 MHz. Users wanting to operate must possess
licenses certified by an Approved Radio Engineer. Although the band
became available for licencing effective the 2nd of August,
licencees will not be able to begin transmissions until the 1st of
September. According to RSM, the band is being made available
following a technical consultation that took place in 2017. Use of
the band is covered under Crown Spectrum Management Rights and a
band plan is available on the website of Radio Spectrum Management,
a business unit of the Ministry of Business. Learn more about the
band plan by navigating from the home page at rsm dot govt dot nz (rsm.govt.nz).
HAM IN IRELAND GOES RECORD DISTANCE ON VHF
JIM/ANCHOR: A recent contact between a ham in Ireland and a ham off
Africa's coast is being called a record. Ed Durrant DD5LP tells us
how it happened.
ED: World records aren’t easy to come by so when Mark EI3KD made
contact from his QTH in Ireland with D4Z on the Cape Verde Islands
off Africa’s coast on the 5th of August, it was a big deal. For one
thing, it was on CW at 144.300 MHz, and for another this was a
distance of 4163 kilometres, or not quite 2600 miles. As reported on
Southgate Amateur Radio News, this constitutes a new record for
tropo in IARU Region 1, besting a record set in July 2015 of 4130
kilometres, or roughly 2560 miles. The news was first reported on
the blog written by John EI7GL on Monday the 6th of August. The blog
speculates that marine ducting most likely helped propagation. With
marine ducting, the water’s surface and a layer in the lower
atmosphere trap the VHF and UHF signals enabling them to travel a
greater distance than normal.
August 5th was apparently a good day as well for D4Z, the Monteverde
Contest Team, based in Cape Verde. The team also worked G7RAU and
G4LOH on 2m SSB in the southwest of England.
'LAST MAN STANDING' CALLING QRZ
JIM/ANCHOR: If you are a fan of TV’s “Last Man Standing” but never
got a QSL card from KA6LMS – the amateur radio station on the set –
be near your shack on Tuesday the 14th of August. The Facebook page
of the newly revived show has announced that even as the popular
sitcom returns to the air this season – this time on Fox - its ham
radio station is doing the same on HF. Be listening around 4 p.m.
Pacific Time for KA6LMS club member Rob AA6RA. Rob is not only an
original member of the club but was a VE who took part in the exam
that gave the show’s star Tim Allen his license. Watch the show’s
Facebook page and spotting sites for details.
HAMS SCORE HOME RUN HELPING BASEBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS
JIM/ANCHOR: When the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
inducted six new membrs, hams helped keep things safe and orderly
for tens of thousands of fans, as we hear from Neil Rapp WB9VPG.
NEIL: A crowd of about 53,000 turned out in Cooperstown New York to
see six athletes inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame – but
looking out for these tens of thousands was a much smaller crowd:
ham radio operators who’d been activated under RACES to provide
communications support at the event on behalf of the county’s office
of emergency services.
Brian Webster N2KGC, the Otsego County Amateur Radio Officer and an
ARRL District Emergency Coordinator, said about 15 amateurs were
directly involved at stations on the air. He said another half dozen
or so were assigned directly to various agencies where they also
worked as communications technicians. Volunteers came from Otsego
and three surrounding counties as members of the Oneonta Amateur
Radio Club. They operated primarily on a 2 meter analogue repeater
using two 440 analogue repeaters for backup near area hospitals.
July 29th was a big day for players Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Trevor
Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell who drew
the second largest crowd in the history of such inductions. Although
a few medical transports were required, Brian said the big event was
largely uneventful except of course for the inductions. The amateur
radio operators’ role is significant at this event, Brian said,
because you never know what dignitaries may show up or what kinds of
security concerns there might be.
Baseball fans, if you think this meant a free pass to the event
think again: Brian told Amateur Radio Newsline: [quote] “We only had
two hams on the actual site and they were both involved supporting
the EMA activities. The rest of us watched the ceremony on TV like
many others.” [endquote]
Still, with a crowd that size, the teamwork scored a home run.
U.S. COAST GUARD HAS HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND GOOD SIGNAL REPORTS
JIM/ANCHOR: Members of two U.S. Coast Guard amateur radio groups
kicked off the month of August by marking the Coast Guard's 228th
birthday on the air. Kevin Trotman N5PRE tells us about the
celebration.
KEVIN: What do birthday celebrations call for, other than a cake?
Conversation, of course. There was plenty of conversation happening
on the air Friday August 3rd and Saturday August 4th as two separate
Coast Guard Ham Radio groups helped celebrate the U.S. Coast Guard’s
228th birthday.
According to Dick KE7A, president and trustee of the Coast Guard
Amateur Radio Club, the event’s goal was to make hams more aware of
Coast Guard history and to encourage more meaningful chatter instead
of the usual rapid-fire exchanges found during such events. The
Coast Guard CW Operators Association joined in the celebration on
Friday by operating special event station K1CG on CW at 10 different
locations, including Texas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Washington
state. Members of this group are all Coast Guard veterans and have
stood a CW watch in the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard stopped using
CW in 1995.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard Amateur Radio Club special event
station W5CGC operated that Saturday on SSB, FT8, PSK31 and RTTY
from 12 different locations including a park in Mount Joy,
Pennsylvania, Marine Mobile moored at Reedville, Virginia and aboard
the US Coast Guard Cutter Ingham Museum Ship in Key West, Florida.
Dick said there are 915 members active in the U.S. Coast Guard’s
Amateur Radio Club who are either active on duty in the Coast Guard
or are veterans of the Coast Guard.
Band conditions were poor on both days but despite that the CW
operators logged 95 QSOs on 4 bands and the Coast Guard ARC logged
512 on five bands.
SCOUTS BUSY WITH JAMBOREE PLANS AND K2BSA ACTIVATION
JIM/ANCHOR: Radio Scouts continue with their activations as Bill
Stearns NE4RD tells us.
BILL: This week in Radio Scouting we have 1 activation of the K2BSA
Callsign, Jamboree on the Air is just around the corner, and World
Jamboree programs are coming together. Mike Cullen, K1NPT, will be
activating K2BSA/1 at Camp Yawgoog in Rockville, RI from August
19th through the 26th. BSA Troop 3 out of Newport, RI will be
heading to this camp, the fourth-oldest continuously run scout camp
in the United States. Troop 3 will be operating 20M/40M/80M voice &
digital using battery and solar power. Jamboree on the Air 2018 is
the weekend of October 19th - 21st. The JOTA-JOTI team have
established trusted partnerships for connecting units digitally
during the event with JOTI Radio, JOTI.TV, and Scoutlink. JOTI
Radio is the official JOTA-JOTI radio station with trusted partner
status. They will be providing non-stop, live broadcasts throughout
JOTA from their UK studios and are powered by the wonderful team at
Avon Scout Radio. JOTI.tv is another trusted partner that will
gather all the webcams of scout groups all over the world and build
them together in one big mosaic. This will give you a look inside
JOTA-JOTI from the perspective of the participating stations.
ScoutLink is a global, non-profit organisation that aims to connect
Scouts and Guides from all over the world. They do this in many
ways, but their 3 main services are IRC/Webchat (text chat),
TeamSpeak (voice chat), and Minecraft.
Finally we're looking forward to NA1WJ at the World Jamboree next
year in North America. The team has been busy putting plans
together and organizing the program offerings that will include
Amateur Radio demo stations, ARDF on VHF and HF, multiple balloon
launches with VHF APRS and HF WSPR payloads, and hopefully an ARISS
contact. Please stay tuned to our website for ways you can help the
team provide these programs.
For more information on JOTA or Radio Scouting, or to signup for our
JOTA newsletter, please visit our website at k2bsa.net.
IN MALAYSIA, A PREFIX AND A PARTY
JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile, if you happen to hear the prefix 9M61 on the
air, you're hearing the sound of a special Malaysian celebration.
Graham Kemp VK4BB tells us more.
GRAHAM: It’s been 61 years since Malaysia declared its independence,
first known as the Federation of Malaya, with a new prime minister.
The new country raised its own flag for the first time and
everywhere there was dancing, bonfires and even fireworks. On the
16th of September 1963 the federation, along with North Borneo or
Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, formed into a larger federation of
Malaysia. This year the ham radio community is setting off its own
fireworks of sorts by calling QRZ under special event call signs
that are regional, but all of them bear the prefix 9M61. The
celebration is already ongoing and will be active through the 1st of
September. Successful contacts can earn you four different
certificates from the Malaysian DX and Contest Group at bronze,
silver, gold and platinum levels. The event is in keeping with the
mission of the contest group which is to promote and raise the
profile for HF contesters and encourage DXing throughout Malaysia.
KICKER: BRITAIN'S INLAND WATERWAYS GET THEIR OWN EVENT
JIM/ANCHOR: Finally, amateurs who love radio - and radio by the
water - have an event all their own in Britain as we learn from
Jeremy Boot G4NJH.
JEREMY: Now here is an all-purpose event that would combine Bicycles
on the Air, Boats on the Air and even Running Shoes on the air if
they existed: It’s the British Inland Waterways on the Air event
being held between the 25th and 27th of August – which is the August
bank holiday weekend. Amateurs who are making use of reservoirs,
rivers, lakes, canals and tow paths will be activating them either
as individuals or as a club event, some even using Special Event
Station call signs. A number of them may be using their own call
signs while they operate portable or mobile. Stefan Lattimer 2E0VKM,
a member of the Nunsfield House Amateur Radio Club, has been keeping
track of which stations will be participating. Primary bands will be
40 meters and 2 meters but operators are not being restricted from
using any band. The event is as a way of encouraging hams to use
their radios to celebrate the UKs waterways and of course amateur
radio. Organisers are hoping that everyone will, of course, be
inspired by their closeness to the water and simply go with the
flow.
FRIDAY EDITION: Yesterday was a wipe out for
afternoon hf radio, we had torrential rain, thunder, and lighting.
Well needed rainfall here on the island of Cape Ann....I hear rumor
of a major personnel change at HRO in Salem, NH. Any truth to the
rumors?....
IARUMS reports Kiwi-SDR can
locate intruders in ham radio bands
IARU-R1 Monitoring System newsletter reports the
online Kiwi-SDR (TDoA) bearing system is an
excellent tool to find out the location of intruders in the amateur
radio bands
IARUMS illustrate the effectiveness of Kiwi-SDR (TDoA) by
pinpointing operation from a UK Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus in the
21 MHz band and UK fishery traffic operating in the 7 MHz band.
The newsletter also notes there was a KG84 encrypted STANAG-4481
transmission from south-west England on July 6 at 0628 GMT on 7101.7
kHz.
The International Amateur Radio Union Monitoring System (IARUMS)
Region 1 July 2018 newsletter can be read at
http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2018/news1807.pdf
Babcock slides containing maps showing location of DHFCS Strategic
Radio Infrastructure in the UK and Overseas (HF Only)
http://hfindustry.com/meetings_presentations/presentation_materials/
2011_sept_hfia/presentations/
5_Babcock_HFIA_Presentation
_Sep_11.pdf
Reports of Amateur Band intruders can be logged on the IARU Region 1
Monitoring System Logger at
http://peditio.net/intruder/bluechat.cgi
Monitor the short wave bands on-line with a web based SDR receiver
at
http://www.websdr.org/
Collegiate QSO Party to Debut in September
ARRL’s Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative ( CARI)
will sponsor the first
Collegiate QSO Party in mid-September, just as the
fall semester gets under way. The new operating event is part of
the larger effort to promote a renaissance of Amateur Radio
clubs on college and university campuses. “Discussion of this
sort of event has come up in multiple forums at hamfests,” the
Milluzzi brothers — Andy, KK4LWR, and Tony, KD8RTT, told ARRL.
“It gained more interest in the last couple of years and was a
hot topic of debate at the ARRL Collegiate Amateur Radio
Initiative Forum at Hamvention® this past May. The rules were
formulated by current students, faculty, and alumni of
collegiate clubs. We are excited to see things materialize and
are happy to help organize the event.”
The inaugural Collegiate QSO Party will get under way on
Saturday, September 15, at 0000 UTC and continue until Sunday,
September 16, at 2359 UTC. Using phone, CW, or digital modes,
participants will exchange call sign, college or university
name, or abbreviation and mascot, and operating class
“Existing contests are great for club activity, but there is
a critical need to get collegiate stations on the air early in
the semester and drum up attention,” Andy Milluzzi said. He said
the ARRL School Club Roundup (SCR)
has been popular with college students, but it’s later in the
semester, when college students are more deeply involved with
their studies. The Society of Midwest Contesters also created
the North American Collegiate Championship in conjunction with
the North American QSO Party (NAQP)
SSB event. Andy Milluzzi said the Collegiate QSO Party hopes to
capitalize on the success of both events.
In a nutshell, the concept is an Amateur Radio operating
event that focuses on collegiate Amateur Radio, with the goal of
promoting student activity, alumni engagement, and community
awareness. The contest is open to all radio amateurs, including
school clubs from around the world, the Milluzzis said. There is
no explicit bonus for DX and no US-specific awards. Points may
be earned by individuals, clubs, and collegiate stations. New
hams are welcome and collegiate clubs are encouraged to
accommodate newcomers.
Full details on the Collegiate QSO Party will appear in the
September 2018 issue of QST. All India Radio shortwave
external service in doubt
The Hindustan Times reports there are questions over future of
All India Radio (AIR) shortwave external service
The external services division of All India Radio (AIR) is caught in
a turf war between the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB),
which runs it and the ministry of external affairs (MEA), which is
expected to fund it.
While the MIB wants the service to continue and even expand; MEA has
been suggesting shutting down the programmes, pointing out that the
service offered through short wave transmission has outlived its
utility and does not attract listeners abroad, said an MIB official
aware of the developments.
According to this MIB official, the service, which was started soon
after the outbreak of World War II has emerged as a bone of
contention between the two ministries, as the cost of running the
shows is high and the MEA has been unwilling to pick the tab.
Read the full story at
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/i-b-ministry-and-mea-at-odds-over-all-india-radio-external-service/story-k8CDvm9gmYSJ4gDzuYrHiK.html
THURSDAY EDITION: Today's
dumbass taking a "selfie"....Saudi Arabia
does it right.....I wonder when the ARRL will sanction WAS, WAC,
and DXCC via Echolink for the new no code Tech Lite hams? A new ham
in he club asked me if he could get Worked All States using Echolink.....
4U1UN UN Amateur Radio Club Operation
Could Resume Later this Year
Outside of beacon signals,
4U1UN, the Amateur Radio club station at
United Nations Headquarters in New York, has not been heard on
the air since 2015, and only then under the commemorative 4U70UN
call sign marking the UN’s 70th anniversary that fall, with
operation from a ground-level garden area within the UN
Headquarters complex. That could change soon. The 4U1UN station,
once within the iconic UN building, was dismantled in 2010 and
antennas removed in advance of extensive building renovations.
But room for 4U1UN — which counts as a separate DXCC entity —
was not allocated in the new building layout. UN staffer James
Sarte, K2QI, the president of the United Nations Amateur Radio
Club (UNARC), said in late July that “red tape” has been a
roadblock to getting 4U1UN back on the air. “It’s taken us
years just to get the administration and security to allow us to
resume beacon operations,” he
told DX-World.net. “Security protocols
became much tighter after 9/11. And when renovations [for] the
Secretariat were completed, staff were no longer permitted to
engage in any activities above the [Secretary-General’s] floor.
That said, we’re slowly working to restore operations.”
Negotiations have been continuing off and on for a few years
now, but Sarte says that any notion of returning to staffed
operations from the station’s former forty-first-floor annex is
a thing of the past. “Any such activity from the club will have
to be done remotely from a broadcast booth that was loaned to us
by the UN’s broadcast services section,” he explained. “The good
news, however, is that new equipment was recently donated to the
club that would make that a reality. The transceiver, amplifier,
and associated network equipment are now in place. We also had a
dedicated closed network line installed primarily for that
purpose.” Operation would take place from UN Headquarters
grounds.
Sarte said the remaining task is to install an antenna and
begin testing, which, he estimated, should happen this month,
and may already have begun.
“I know many have been waiting for the return of 4U1UN. No
one wants to see it back on the air more than I do, but please
understand that support for Amateur Radio operations by the [UN]
administration has waned over the years. To get where we are
today took a lot of cajoling and negotiation.” Most of the
burden has fallen on Sarte, who said his workload has increased,
plus funds are tight. “But I do promise that 4U1UN will be back
on the air soon,” he concluded.
4U1UN is the 34th most-wanted DXCC entity, ahead of such
Swain’s Island, Myanmar, and Yemen. Max de Henseler, HB9RS (SK),
spearheaded the effort to establish a UN Headquarters Amateur
Radio station in 1978. Before that, a UN Amateur Radio station
operated as K2UN. ARRL Board of Directors’ Committee Seeks
Input for Proposed ARES Strategic Plan
Following up on an ARRL Board of Directors directive at its July
meeting, the Public Service Enhancement Working Group (PSEWG)
has contacted all ARRL Section Managers (SMs) and Section
Emergency Coordinators (SECs) seeking comments and suggestions
regarding the proposed
ARES Strategic Plan,
via an online form. The deadline is October 31, in order to give
the PSEWG sufficient time to review the comments and
suggestions, formulate any necessary revisions, and submit the
revised document to the Board for consideration at its January
meeting. Created in 1935, ARES has undergone very few changes
over the years, while the agencies ARES serves have undergone
many. The PSEWG evaluated the ARES program for 2 years and
drafted several proposed enhancements aimed at updating the
program.
The ARES Strategic Plan introduces changes and a
platform for future growth. For many, this will represent a
major paradigm shift; for others, it will formalize many of the
requirements they have employed routinely for several years.
An independent team of individuals experienced in ARES and
emergency work from across the US has reviewed the proposed
plan. Their suggestions and recommendations were carefully
considered, and many were included in the plan during its
development.
Now, the ARRL Board wants SMs and SECs to have the
opportunity to offer comments on the recommended changes prior
to implementation of the plan. While SMs and SECs are invited to
reach out to their Emergency Coordinators (ECs) for their
thoughts and feedback, formal responses must be submitted
through SMs and SECs.
The PSEWG asks SMs an SECs to keep their comments respectful,
concise, and on point, and to keep in mind that the ARES
framework must remain as close to universal as possible, even
while participants in some geographical areas may require
specific training that others do not need. Mutual aid pacts may
require training specific to adjacent jurisdictions.
Also, SMs and SECs are reminded that specific agency
agreements and needs must be honored. Those having concerns
about a proposed new policy are requested to offer alternatives. WEDNESDAY EDITION: It was nice to drop in on
3928 yesterday and talk to a few real hams around dinnertime. It was
mentioned that a noon lunch at HRO this Thursday might be happening.
stay tuned....
HELP
The 2018 Boxborough convention is falling short of its volunteer
needs
this year. Volunteers are needed to help in the parking lots, at the
ticketing tables, and to assist forum speakers.
If you donate two hours of your time, you will be given a voucher
that
can be exchanged for a free lunch.
See:
http://boxboro.org/volunteer
http://boxboro.org/volunteer to sign up!
Radio hams assist in California
fire response
The ARRL reports Amateur Radio Emergency Service®
(ARES®) volunteers have pitched in to assist where needed to provide
or support communication as catastrophic wildfires have struck
California
Volunteers from multiple ARRL Sections in the state have stepped up
to help, as some fires remain out of control. The fires have claimed
several lives, destroyed more than 1,000 homes, and forced countless
residents to evacuate, including radio amateurs.
ARRL Sacramento Valley Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) Greg
Kruckewitt, KG6SJT, said this week that things have calmed somewhat
compared to the past couple of weeks, with American Red Cross
shelter communicators stepping down after 10 days of support.
Initially, there were four shelters in Redding. On August 5, the
Shasta-Tehama ARES team was able to take its communications trailer
to Trinity County to support a shelter in Weaverville opened for
Carr Fire evacuees, he said.
“This relieved the Sacramento County ARES volunteers who had been up
there for several days,” Kruckewitt said. “For mutual assistance to
Weaverville, it is a 4.5- to 5.5-hour drive for the Sacramento
Valley Section people who helped out. Communications at the shelter
have been important, as power and cell phone coverage is often
spotty, with power going off for hours at a time.”
CalFire reports that the Carr Fire in Shasta and Trinity counties
covers more than 167,000 acres and is 47% contained. Evacuations and
road closures are in effect. At one point, more than a dozen ARES
volunteers from Shasta, Sacramento, Butte, Placer, and El Dorado
counties were working at shelters opened in the wake of the Carr
Fire.
Read the full ARRL story at
http://www.arrl.org/news/view/amateur-radio-emergency-service-volunteers-assist-in-california-fire-response
Hamvention officials: No new
building for 2019
CQ Magazine report there will still be tents for some
commercial exhibitors at next year's Dayton Hamvention.
In one of their first acts as leaders of the 2019 Hamvention,
General Chairman Jack Gerbs, WB8SCT, and Assistant General
Chairman Rick Allnutt, WS8G, announced on August 5th that they
had been unable so far "to reach an agreement on a long-term
contract (with Greene County officials) where both the
Fairgrounds and Hamvention would feel comfortable erecting a new
building."
The announcement was made "in the spirit of being transparent,"
they said. Gerbs and Allnut stressed that the overall
relationship between the Dayton Amateur Radio Association and
Greene County remains excellent and the Hamvention will continue
to be held at the fairgrounds in Xenia. They cited improvements
made for the 2018 show and promised more for 2019. However, a
new commercial exhibits building will not be among them.
The 2019 Dayton Hamvention is scheduled for May 17-19.
CQ Magazine
http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/
BIRDS-2 CubeSats to Deploy from ISS on
August 10
According to Masa Arai, JN1GKZ, Japan’s space agency JAXA
has announced that three
BIRDS-2 CubeSats with APRS digipeaters
will deploy from the International Space Station on August
10. The trio — BHUTAN-1, MAYA-1, and UiTMSat-1 — will
transmit 30 minutes after deployment. Initial mode should be
CW on 70 centimeters; each satellite uses the same frequency
of 437.375 MHz. The normal transmission order is BHUTAN-1
(JG6YKL), MAYA-1 (JG6YKM), and UiTMSat-1 (JG6YKN). Each
CubeSat also has an APRS digipeater on 145.825 MHz. Because
the CubeSats will be released at the same time, it’s
possible that the beacon signals from three CubeSats will
interfere with each other as they will turn on at almost at
the same time, making copy difficult.
Once on, one of the first things it does is transmit the
beacon signal, but the CubeSats are programmed so that each
will wait a certain amount of time before transmitting the
beacon signal. The first satellite released will be the
first to transmit, but it will remain silent for long enough
to let other two satellites finish their beacon
transmissions.
TUESDAY EDITION: I survived having a spot of
cancer taken off my face yesterday morning. I joked with the Dr.
that I better start using sunscreen: He laughed and said you should
have 30 years ago, what I took out is past damage from a long time
go. So I guess I don't need to start now.....Remember when you used
to fit in a Dr. appt around activities and daily life....and now as
you get older schedule your activities between Dr. appts.?
The Perseid meteor shower is
underway
Earth is entering a stream of debris from giant comet
109P/Swift-Tuttle, parent of the annual Perseid
meteor shower.
Although the shower is not expected to peak until next weekend,
NASA all-sky cameras are already detecting dozens of Perseid
fireballs every night over the USA.
This early activity may be a good omen for the nights ahead,
especially Aug. 11th-13th when Earth is expected to pass through the
densest part of the comet's debris zone.
Visit
Spaceweather.com for more information and observing tips
Youngsters on the Air South Africa 2018
Kicks Off this Week
Starting on August 6, dozens of young radio amateurs from IARU
Region 1 will gather for a week in South Africa for Youngsters
on the Air (YOTA) South Africa 2018 in the Gauteng
region of South Africa. A summertime gathering in the past, YOTA
South Africa 2018 will take place during the Southern Hemisphere
winter. Some 80 young radio amateurs — including 13-year-old
Faith Hannah Lea, AE4FH, of Florida — will represent more than
30 countries at the event.
In addition to Amateur Radio, YOTA South Africa 2018 will
offer the opportunity for participants to learn about different
nationalities and cultures, foster international goodwill, and
learn new communication and technical skills. Participants will
be building a radio kit, be introduced to SDR, build model
CubeSats that will be launched into near-space, participate in
the launching and tracking of a high-altitude balloon carrying
various other radio equipment onboard, and learn more about
Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio (RaDAR)
and working amateur satellites.
The program for the week includes an excursion to a game
reserve to experience African wildlife and the South African
countryside. The young campers will take turns at the helm of
special event station ZS9YOTA on 160 through 10 meters. —
Thanks to SARL
New England Hams
you might run across 75
meters.........
K1TP-
Jon....Editor of As The World
Turns....
2017
HRO CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON
W1GEK-
Big Mike....Nearfest Cook, big
motor home, electronics software
engineer ...
AA1SB-
Neil...Living large traveling
the country with his
girlfriend...loves CW
N1YX-
Igor....peddles quality Russian
keys, software engineer
K1BGH...Art.....Restores
cars and radio gear, nice fella...
N1XW.....Mike-easy
going, Harley riding kind of
guy!
K1JEK-Joe...Easy going, can
be found at most ham flea market
...Cobra Antenna builder..
KA1GJU-
Kriss- Tower climbing pilot who
cooks on the side at
Hosstrader's...
W1GWU-Bob....one
of the Hosstrader's original
organizers, 75 meter regular,
Tech Wizard!!!
K1PV-
Roger....75 meter regular, easy
going guy...
W1XER...Scott....easy
going guy, loves to split
cordwood and hunt...
WS1D-
Warren- "Windy" - Bullnet
KB1VX-
Barry- the picture says it all,
he loves food!
KC1BBU-
Bob....the Mud Duck from the
Cape Cod Canal, making a lot of
noise.
W1STS- Scott...philosopher,
hat
connoisseur,
KB1JXU-
Matthew...75 meter regular...our
token liberal Democrat out of VT
KA1BXB-Don....75
meter Regular......residing on
the Cape of Cod, flying planes
and playing radio
KMIG-Rick....75
Meter Regular....teaches the
future of mankind, it's scary!
K1PEK-Steve..Founder
of Davis-RF....my best friend
from high school
K9AEN-John...Easy
going ham found at all the ham
fests
K1BXI- John.........Dr.
Linux....fine amateur radio op
....wealth of experience...
K1BQT.....Rick....very
talented ham, loves his
politics, has designed gear for
MFJ...
W1KQ- Jim- Retired
Air Force
Controller...told quite a few
pilots where to go!
N1OOL-Jeff-
The 3936 master plumber and
ragchewer...
K1BRS-Bruce-
Computer Tech of 3936...multi
talented kidney stone passing
ham...
K1BGH- Arthur, Cape Cod,
construction company/ice cream
shop, hard working man....
W1VAK-
Ed, Cape Cod, lots of experience
in all areas, once was a Jacques
Cousteus body guard....
KD1ZY-
Warren....3910 regular with
WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE
signal
N1YSU-
Bob, easy going, kind of
like Mr. Rogers until politics
are brought up then watch out...
K1BNH-
Bill- Used to work for a bottled
gas company-we think he has been
around nitrous oxide to long .
Silent KeyVA2GJB-
Graham...one of the good 14313
guys back in the day.
Silent Key
K1BHV-
David...PITA
W1JSH-
Mort...Air Force man
Silent Key
K1MAN--Glen....PITA
Silent KeyKB1CJG-"Cobby"-
Low key gent can be found on
many of the 75 meter
nets.........
Silent KeyWB1AAZ-
Mike, Antrim, NH, auto parts
truck driver-retired
Silent KeyWB1DVD-
Gil....Gilly..Gilmore.....easy
going, computer parts selling,
New England Ham..
Silent Key
W1OKQ-
Jack....3936 Wheeling and
Dealing......keeping the boys on
there toes....
Silent Key
W1TCS-
Terry....75 meter
regular, wealth of electronic
knowledge...
Silent Key
WIPNR-
Mack....DXCC Master, worked them
all!.. 3864 regular for many
years...
Silent Key
WILIM-
Hu....SK at 92... 3864
regular for many years...
Silent Key
N1SIE-
Dave....Loves to fly
Silent Key:N1WBD-
Big Bob- Tallest ham, at 6'10",
of the 3864 group
Silent Key:
W1FSK-Steve....Navy
Pilot, HRO Salesman, has owned
every radio ever built!
Silent Key:
W4NTI-Vietnam
Dan....far from easy going cw
and ssb op on 14275/313
Silent Key:K1FUB-Bill-
Loved ham radio.... |
